


Falling deep and flying high

by NothingSpecialHerern



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Merman Lance, Multi, basically little mermaid but gayer, bird keith, the usual thing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-08-30 03:08:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8516182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NothingSpecialHerern/pseuds/NothingSpecialHerern
Summary: Alrighy so like Lance and Hunk are mermen and Shiro and Keith and Allura and Coran and maybe Pidge (idk about them yet) are humans with wings and I'm gonna call them Phoenixes because why not ANYWHO this is a side project, really, but I like writing about it so we'll see where it goes :)This idea was first made by Fishwrites in http://archiveofourown.org/works/7921288/chapters/20053528





	1. Oceanic Views

**Author's Note:**

> Lance go do your homework  
> also follow your dreams, Keith <3  
> cred to fishwrites who came up with the idea first

_The ocean._

_It's hard to explain, but I feel a sense of inertia when I walk this beach. It's almost as if something- someone- is calling me out. If only..._

The Sound of unevenly weighted wings brought Keith back to reality. He turned to find Takashi Shirogane walking towards him. Shiro was lager than most, with muscles refined by hard labor. He wore the standard tight-fitting pants and no shirt- better for flying- but the thing that really caught Keith's attention was the damage. All over Shiro's arms and chest were scars of all sizes- from that of a dime to uncomfortably large gashes. Across the bridge of his nose was one such scar, and it crinkled when he smiled. He had black wings that were mesmerizing- at least, one of them was. The other was complete metal, replaced on that dreaded night...

The ocean is a terrifying thing.

Shiro walked over, giving his signature smile. "Flirting with death?"

"Yeah," Keith gulped, "Something like that."

All his life, the Phoenixes had been afraid of the sea. There were constant reminders that one shouldn't get too close, and it was forbidden to fly over it. Of course, Keith needed no reminders. He knew full well what the ocean could hold. He still remembered the absolute panic, the horror etched in everyone's faces, how no one could do anything about it...

"Well, listen," Shiro patted Keith's back, obviously steering him away from the shore. "It's almost time for dinner. What do you say we get out of here and be first in line?"

Keith hated that Shiro was being this way. It was one thing to be afraid of something; It was another entirely to be  _told_ that something is off-limits. It made him want to edge closer, to dare the Fates, to soar above that uncharted unknown. He wanted to show that he wasn't afraid, that he would do anything he wished.

But then he got a look at Shiro, and that beautiful, dorky smile. He would think about his impossible daydream- that the two would be married like a normal couple, and live a life together. Keith had never heard of two males doing such, but maybe if they tried, maybe if Keith confessed his feelings, they could be _together._

_Or..._ Keith's mind would start.  _Or you could be pushed away by him and the entire clan. Or, you could both be exiled. Or, you could be hated by him for the rest of your life._

But that  _smile..._

"Yeah," Keith stuttered, "Yeah, I think I'd like that."

Shiro let out a laugh, happily getting away from the shore. Keith to one last longing look at the undefined horizon infront of him.  _If only there was a way..._

 

" _Tag!_ You're it!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Lance hollered. "Your tail is _mine!_ "

The little boy squealed in delight, darting behind the nearest coral growth. Lance could still plainly see the kid's dolphin-like tail fluttering back and forth, followed by stifled giggles. Lance floated on his back, pretending to be lost in thought. 

"Hmm... Let's see... where would a little _guppy_ like him hide?"

The boy couldn't help himself. He rushed out from his hiding spot. "I am _not_ a guppy!"

"Aha!" Lance dove and wrapped his hands around him, pretend-wrestling for dominance. "Now I got you,  _trespasser!"_

"Never!" The boy giggled.

_"Lance!"_

Both boys froze, recognizing the regal and stern motherly voice above them. It was Queen Adria.

She had curly dark hair with the odd streak of gray. Her face was beautiful- it had only gotten better with age. Everything about her commanded order and respect.

The child in Lance's arms was shaking.

Lance felt like shaking, too.

"M-mama," He stammered, "I... I brought him him. I let him-"

_"Enough!"_ The queen yelled. "Lance, you know this is against the rules. As a prince, you are not to be seen playing around."

Lance gulped. "I know, Mama." He looked down at the kid in his arms. His eyes were pleading, knowing the penalty of sneaking into the castle.

This was the third kid in the last month alone. The local commoners couldn't help themselves- they'd never seen their prince. Kids had always peeked through fences or gates. And that first day, when a little girl had quivered before Lance? He had melted. He'd made catching her a game. He let her go without a second thought. Ever since, there had been a new interest in the playful prince behind the walls. 

In other words, it was Lance's fault the kid was here. 

He wasn't going to let anything happen to him.

"I'm sorry, Mama, but I couldn't help myself. I let him in, I-"

"Oh, stop," His mother huffed, "We both know that's a lie. Get him out of here, before anyone _else_ sees you."

Lance stared at his usually-uptight mother in disbelief. "You mean-"

"Well, what do you expect?" She interrupted, turning away, "I'm not your _father,_ you know. Now get out of here, before Hunk finds you."

"Yes, ma'am." Lance sped away, holding the boy by the hand. They went in silence until they came up to the hole the boy had first squeezed through. The kid surged forward, eager to leave, but Lance held him back. "Wait..."

The kid looked up at him, impatient.

Lance took a deep breath. "Look, kid, no one can come through this hole again. That was a close call, and you're lucky that it didn't go sour."

The boy nodded solemnly.

"That'll be your job, okay? Make sure that no one comes through here."

"Yes, Prince Lancelo-"

"Woah, kid!" Lance gave a look of shock. "Let's tone it down with the fancy names. It's just Lance."

"Lance," the boy repeated with awe.

"Exactly. And just between us..." he leaned in , looking around for nonexistent eavesdroppers. "If anything were to, say, come  _out_ of this little hole, like a note or something, I wouldn't mind if someone were to , say,  _respond_ to it by another note." He winked mischievously, smirking.

The boy gave a toothy grin, trying to wink but blinking instead. Lance laughed.

"Alright, you better go. And remember- just between us."

The boy nodded. "Promise,  _Lance._ Just between us."

"Good."

The boy disappeared, tail and all, and Lance sighed.

When was he getting out of this stupid castle? 

When did he get to be free?


	2. Unexpected Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So yeah Pidge is humanish  
> Like, not totally but still  
> Anywho Lance complains and Keith almost dies, the Usual

Lance couldn't take it. He had to get out. This life may be easy, and, sure, he had one friend in this whole mess, but it wasn't meant for him. He kept being drawn to the open ocean and everything out there maybe even to what was above. Maybe...

A knock at his door made Lance jump. "Y-yes?'

Hunk opened the door. As a childhood friend, the yellow merman was one of the few people Lance loved having around. He came in and shut the door, book under arm. A sense of dread washed over Lance.

"Oh, c'mon, Hunk. Can't we skip it for one day? The ocean's not gonna end if-"

"Lance, we've talked about this." Hunk set the textbook on the table. "It's not my decision. And if your parents found out..."

He didn't have to finish the sentence. Hunk was just a servant, hand-picked by the Queen herself to take care of their son. He was obedient, loyal, talented, and a good playmate- the perfect choice. Still, if Lance skipped out on his studies for one day, there was a good chance Hunk would take the fall. Lance sighed. "Guess that settles that." He opened up the one History book he had ever owned. He'd already poured over every page, notes covering the margins. What else was there to study? _Nothing,_ his mind filled in, _nothing is left in this miserable castle._

Hunk sighed and sat adjacent to Lance. "You know, this is actually important. This book? It's not available to a lot of merpeople. They don't know anything about their world, and you..." Hunk swallowed, looking away. "You get to know it all."

Lance stared at his book, voice barely above a whisper. "I'd teach them. I'd teach them everything I know if I'd just get to see them. To see the world."

They sat in silence. Eventually, Lance lifted his pencil, using it to read lines he'd already memorized.

_In the midst of this great battle was a single enemy warrior. This monster killed thousands of troops and forced our great conquest back into the sea. The conquest was given up, and the merpeople lived in peace under the rule of king Aquarin._

Lance rolled his eyes. Like his father knew the meaning of _peace._ There wasn't a day that went by that Lance saw his father overreact to at least five situations, which entailed yelling and throwing and other unkingly things. The majority of his subjects may live in peace, but the castle was filled with nothing more than fear of the ruler. Anger flared up inside him again. His people didn't need that lousy king. Once he was ruler, everything would change. Subjects would have schools. They would be treated equal. No one would have to be stuck in a never-ending cycle, like they had been for years. And maybe, just maybe, Lance could wonder the oceans without a care in the world.

* * *

Keith couldn't believe what he was seeing. He slowly moved the leaves farther apart, trying to prove it wasn't real. Shiro was standing there, laughing at something princess Allura had said, twirling her hair in his fingers. She was obnoxiously close to him, smiling at her own joke. Keith had never meant to be in the woods, taking the long way to the beach, but now he was frozen in the brush.

_It was real._

Shiro smiled down at her. "Princess, we should get back."

Allura gave an innocent look. "Why? We have nothing to do for hours."

He looked around the forest. "Someone could see us here."

"See us?" Allura gave a bubbly laugh. "Who would come all the way out here? Keith?"

Shiro seemed to have an answer, that yes, Keith would come out here, but Allura quickly fit her lips to his, cutting off any remark.

_No._

Keith felt his heart literately _ache,_ like he'd never felt before. Was this a broken heart? Because he definitely felt like something had been ripped apart. They barely moved away from each other, hovering inches away. 

_Stop. Stop this..._

"What about Keith?" Allura whispered.

Shiro licked his lips. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

_Nothing at all._

Keith bolted from the scene. He was dimly aware of the gasps and calls behind him, urging him to slow down and come back, but he didn't dare listen.

He would never listen to them again.

No, his mind was filled with terror and pain. It was filled with memories of Shiro, being there for him, fighting for him, teaching him. Most of all, it was filled with that one phrase.  _Nothing at all._ It repeated like a mantra, over and over, until Keith was running into trees because he was so blind with tears. 

What About Keith?

_Nothing. Nothing at all._

What were all of those days spent with him?

_Nothing. Nothing at all._

What do you feel towards him?

_Nothing. Nothing at all._

_What are you?_

_Nothing. Nothing at all._

Suddenly his feet were diving into sand, getting closer to the water. Some childhood instinct told him to stop, to be afraid. Keith dug his heels in the pebbles.

"Keith!" Shiro was behind him, gaining fast. "Keith, I didn't know you were there! I'm sorry! Keith-"

Keith didn't let him finish. He spread his wings and took off over the one thing that no Altean would follow him above.

* * *

Pidge wasn't sure what she was looking for on that slightly junked beach. It definitely wasn't a near-dead teenager with wings. 

Sitting now, watching him take shaky breaths, she listened in to her parents' conversation.

"-can't," her father said. "We just can't. If he's out on the ocean, this far out, he's probably not welcome back in Altea. Not to mention I haven't flown that far in years."

She heard her mother's sigh. "Alright. So he stays. But if he does _anything-"_

"He won't. I promise. He's..." The voice got too low for her to hear behind closed doors. Sometimes she hated how well-built her house was.

Infront of her, the teen stirred, wings fluttering. He opened in his dark eyes and took n the room, eventually settling on her. He looked terrible, with bruises all over, some parts of his wings scraped raw. Pidge had guessed he'd crash landed, but if he was a wanted man from another place...

He struggled to get up, but used the wrong arm. He howled in pain and hit the bed hard. Pidge held back a smile.

"That's broken, by the way."

He playfully and painfully glared at her. "Yeah. Thanks for that."

Pidge's parents burst through the door. Her mother looked between both of them, seemed to reach the conclusion that nothing had happened, and poured some water for the teen. "Are you... feeling alright?" Her hand shook as she held out the glass.

"Um, I'm fine. Thanks." He took a cautious sip of the water. Pidge couldn't help but snort at his answer. This boy was anything but fine.

"Pidge!" Her mother scolded, "Be respectful!"

The teen held back a laugh, settling for a smile. "It's alright, ma'am. She-" He stiffened, almost dropping the glass. Pidge's father smiled knowingly.

"Y-you," he stammered, "You. You're-"

Her father laughed. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Keith?"

 


	3. Wave Hello and Wave Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feelings. I'm so sorry. Basically everyone cries.

Keith felt too many emotions all at once. And in all honesty, he wished his mind would shut up and pick a feeling.

First of all, he was surprised, but that quickly gave way. He was confused as to how Sam had lived or why he hadn't bothered to come back. He was hurt that his old family friend- his virtual uncle- hadn't come back for him. He was angry. Keith hated that he ended up here of all places, that he was forced to greet a long lost ghost. He was scared. God, he was scared. It'd been years, so what had changed? What wasn't important anymore? It seemed to be himself. He was needy. He wanted his uncle again. He was distant. He couldn't get close again. He wanted to scream; he wanted to lock his jaw shut. He wanted to do anything, everything. He wanted to do nothing. 

Keith realized he _wanted_ to be all of those things. He wanted to be angry, hurt, confused, scared or needy, yet there was something else rising up from deep inside him. With a jolt, he named it.

Happiness. Keith was truly, innocently happy in a way he hadn't felt since he was four. 

Samuel Holt was alive. Keith took it all in. Sam had stone-colored hair now, along with small glasses. His wings had always been gray, and his smile had never changed. Same stature, same knowing eyes, new wrinkles. He looked just like Keith could've guessed, which seemed to make everything achingly familiar. 

Keith surged forward and swept the older man into a hug, barely noticing the glass he was clenching spilling its contents. Mr. Holt barely managed not to fall off the bedside. He gently ran his older fingers through Keith's hair. 

"I'm sorry I didn't come back, my boy. I couldn't."

Keith sobbed in response to the comforting voice. He didn't care about how he looked or that his arm screamed in protest. He wanted this moment to last forever. He wanted to stay buried in his unlce's arm, letting go of his emotions, crying out of happiness. He couldn't remember ever doing this before. Was this the passion people usually felt towards each other? To be able to open up without a second's hesitation? 

"Well, this is all well and great, but does _someone_ wanna tell me what's going on here?"

* * *

"Lance."

Lance almost jumped out of his scales. He whipped around to find his one and only friend standing just inside a quietly closed door. Hunk looked hurt, but resigned, almost as if he was too tired to fight anymore. 

"Hunk, buddy, listen-"

Hunk cut him off with a hand. "No. I don't want to hear anything. I don't need an explanation. I get it."

That got his attention. Hunk sighed and swam over, helping Lance finish up packing a small bag. 

"Yeah, I get it. You're my best friend, and I can't stand watching you holed up here in the castle anymore. If your dream is out there, then go out there. Follow it to the ends of the waters."

As Hunk handed him the bag, Lance teared up. "Hunk, I-"

"Go." The yellow merman made it to the door of the dark room before Lance caught his hand.

"No, Hunk, I can't leave you." He gulped in salt water. "Y-you're my best friend too. I can't leave you here alone. We go together."

Hunk considered it, but eventually looked away. "A commoner and a prince gone in the same day? Lance, I'd never be allowed back again. They'd kill me. And I have a family, you know? I can't leave them. But..." Suddenly, he was unwrapping something on his wrist. Lance squinted at it. 

"Is that..."

"A gift," Hunk affirmed. "A necklace for you to remember me by."

If Lance wasn't crying before, he was sure crying now. He'd known this moment would come, but he'd planned for it to be after he'd already left. He wanted to make sure Hunk had no idea so he wouldn't be seen as an accomplice in his escape. Now he was having a proper send off, complete with the traditional necklace made of pearls and jade and the odd tooth, shark or otherwise. Hunk put it on him.

"Hunk, it's..." Lance sucked in a breath. "God, Hunk, _I can't leave you!"_

Suddenly the two were hugging, crying, saying goodbyes, denying goodbyes. This was Lance's only sanity in his crazy prince life, and now he was saying goodbye forever. 

He didn't want to go. Regardless, Hunk gently shoved him away. 

"Alright, buddy, you better go. Not much time left in the night."

Lance nodded. He swam over to his window and opened it. He looked at the murky unknown ahead. This was it, go or not. 

He went out the window. 

"Hey, Lance?"

He turned around to see Hunk wiping one last tear away. "Go teach 'em for me. Teach them everything."

Lance gave one last dorky smile. "You got it, buddy. Anything in the world."

* * *

"Where to begin?" Mr. Holt asked jokingly at the table. They'd all decided to sit in the dining room for the much-needed explanation. Holt's oldest, Matt, had joined the group. He had wings as well, a strong silver, but he was the only other one. The mother and Pidge were wingless.

Keith took a steadying breath. "The... night?"

"Hm... Well, that needs a bit of preface. You see, I used to know Keith's parents fairly well. We spent countless days together, and for awhile I actually lived with them, so I guess you could say I was a regular part of the family."

"Yeah," Keith remembered, "You did, didn't you? We made a kite or something."

Holt raised an eyebrow. "Yes, we did, but I didn't think you'd remember that. You were, oh, two? That sounds right."

Pidge cleared her throat. "So... the night?"

The two shared a glance, then looked away. Matt and Pidge held a silent conversation.

"The night." Keith finally croaked. "It was... it was like any other. We were all walking on the beach, and then the water..."

"It changed," Holt continued. "We went to warn everyone else, but your parents..."

Keith struggled against the cutting words and flashing memories. He forced air through his teeth. 

Holt shifted in his seat. "So we warned them, but it wasn't really enough. See, the water wasn't the problem- it was the mermen inside it. They were invading, for no reason we knew, and they..."

"They killed everyone," Keith seethed, "They cut people up. They took Shiro's wing and arm."

"I got caught up in it all," Holt continued. "I don't quite remember, but suddenly I was in the water. No one was around me. For the time being, I was relatively safe. I couldn't fly- My wing was badly cut. I floated out there, and then you found me..." He trailed off, looking at his wife.

Keith took that in, fighting through the painful reminders it gave. he looked down at his arm, which had been set earlier. 

"Anything to add, Keith?" Holt looked at him lovingly, a question if they had discussed enough. 

"No."

Sam Holt nodded knowingly, putting a hand on Keith's shoulder. 

"Alright then, who's hungry?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha wow I am at a lossss what to do next...  
> Hope you enjoyed! More on the way...


End file.
